The Portland daily press., 1887-02-25
XLIXth CONGRESS- SECOND SESSION
SENATE.
WAsHINGToN. Feb. 3

and Morgan were appointed 1.-THE Senate con
| ferees
Mr.. Hoar gave notice that as soon as thu
| pleuro-pneumonia bill was disposed OF, prob
| ably today, he would ask the Senate to take
/ up the Pacific Railroad enquiry bill. HI
| might then yield to some pension bills, bui
| he hoped to have the consideration of tin
| Pacific Railroad bill commenced at 2 O'Clock
| tomorrow, and the session of tomorrow con
| tinued until that matter should be disposed
| of.
Mr.. Edmunds offered as question Of
| privilege a resolution declaring that John 1
| ingalls,, Senator from Kansas, Is chosen
President pro tenn. Of the Senate, to take ef
| feet at O'Clock on the afternoon of the 26tt
inst, at which time the resignation OF John
| Sherman. the present incumbent, will va
| cate. Laid over till tomorrow.
The Senate then proceeded to the consid-
| Grafton of the House bill to extend the laws
| OF the United States over certain OF the ter
| ritories south of the State of Kansas. Va
rious amendments were agreed to, and the
| bill passed.
The Senate bill authorizing the construc-
| tion of bridge across the East river, be
| and city, at or near Blaekwells Island, was
taken from the calendar and passed.
The Senate then, at $50 o'clock, proceed
ed to the consideration Of the Senate bill TO
extirpate contagious pleuro-pneumonia, foot
and mouth disease, and rinderpest ameng
cattle and the products of live stock. I.
HOUSE.
The Speaker laid before the House mes
sages FROM the President returning without
his approval bills granting pension to An
thony nj. Robertson. increasing the pensions
OF Margaret X. Jones and Larry Burritt, and
for relief of VIM. III. Morehauser. Referred.
Mr.. Dlngley, OF Maine, presented memo
rials OF Thatcher Post, G. A. r., Portland,
Maine, and Kimball Post, Rumford, Maine,
asking for the passage Of the dependent pen
sion bill over the Presidents veto. Referred
On motion of Mr.. Bragg, Of Wisconsin, the
Senate amendments to the military academy
appropriation bill were concurred in.
Mr.. Henderson, OF North Carolina, called
up the report Of the committee on elections
upon the Indiana contested election case of
Kidd against Steel, and the resolution re-
ported was adopted without division. II
confirms the right of the contestee, Steele, to
the seat.
Mr.. Blount, of Georgia, called up the re-
port Of the committee Of the whole on the
Senate amendments to the post Office appro-
priation bill The amendment appropriating
100000 to enable the Postmaster General to
contract for the carrying Of foreign mails on
American vessels to Central and South
America was not c0ncurred in.
Mr.. Burrows, Of Mich, moved that the
House concur sin the Senate amendment.
Lost-13O to 157. The amendment was then
not concurred in and conference ordered.
Mr.. Matson, of Indiana. called up the de-
pendent pension bill with the veto message
Of the President thereon. It was agreed that
the debate should run until 4 o'clock when
the previous question should be considered.
Mr.. Conger, of Iowa, thought the report of
the committee on invalid pensions was a
complete answer to the Presidents hyper
bolic criticisms on that measure.
Mr.. Sawyer, Of New York, had no apollo
gy TO offer for voting to pass over the veto the
bill which met with the approval of three
fourths of the people of the country.
Mr.. Warner, of Wisconsin, said the ques-
ton presented was whether the House
would stand by the brave men Of 1861 and
1860. who were dependent on their daily la
Dor for support, or by the President who re-
fused to sign the bill which would take old
soldiers out of the aims house. The country
should blush to see one of the least of its de-
tenders the inmate Of a county poor house.
Mr.. O'Hara, of North Carolina, favored
the bill and criticised the ruling of the pen
sion office denying aid to colored women
who had lost their sons in the war The
colored men did not 20 into the war, as the
President indicated, for dollars and cents.
When the 54th and 55th Massachusetts regi-
ments, composed exclusively of colored men,
went out and the paymaster offered to pay
them less than other regiments because they
were black they spurned the money and said
mo, we are in the cause of liberty, and il
you cannot pay US what you pay other sol
diers we will fight for our flag and country
without compensation" lApplause.)
Mr. Haynes, OF New Hampshire. would
vote against the veto, declaring that the term
pauper bill was misnomer. 1t was an anti
pauper bill.
Remarks were then made by Bayne, Of
pennsylvania and Burrows, of Michigan, in
favor Of passage over the veto.
Mr.. Morrill,, Of Kansas, pointed out and
criticised what he regarded false assumption
and inconsistencies with which the veto
message abOunded, and appealed to the
House in the name of jnstice, gratitude and
humanity to pass the bill which would give
shelter to worn out veterans who otherwise
would be left to the precarious provisions of
private charity or public aims.
Mr.. Bragg, OF Wisconsin, spoke at great
length in support Of the veto and referred TO
the bill now before the House as zone Of the
sent TO President for his signature" and
added: 'The people Of the country without
regard to party, have every reason to be
thankful that this bill had been presented to
an executive who had backbone enough to
meet the situation" He then pointed out
what he regarded as the evil features of the
bill. It would, he said, grant pensions to
men who had served from, December, 1864,
to June, 1865. Who were those men? They
were the scum of the earth. They were the
scumage and dregs They stayed in their
homes till they were bought-bought by men
who speculated in blood-paid from Si00 to
$500, with private assurance that they
were physicallysso defective that all they had
to do was tolgo to hospitals and not endanger
their precious carcasses. Gentlemen, talk
about soldiers being in the aims house. The
men who were found here were men who
had come from them, and who, when they
left the army had lapsed into their old con
dition. No true, brave soldier need ever &c
to the poor house. The men who went there
were native there. They had not self re-
snQcf phQrQQfar lau md
their mouths for teat to suck.
Mr.. Steele Of Indiana interjected a re-
mark.
Mr.. Bragg said he knew that the gentle
man who had just interrupted him, If he
dared vote his conviction, would vote as he
Bragg did. He Anew who had committed
themselves day after day in opposition to
the principle Of the bill and were grateful
for the veto (Cries Of who are they?')
know what | am talking about | have
heard Of them. repeated cries of ''Name
themH "Name your menu "You can't
do II and much noise and confusion)
The Republican Congressman, all Of
greeted with mingled applause, laughter and
Jeers. MIR. Bragg declared that the press Of
the country was opposed to the bill. These
gentlemen who sit Up aloft pointing to the
press gallery, might some time or other turn
TINS big pension boom into much larger
boomerang in some gentleman's district.
I'VE have Jared as we'll in our districts as
the gentleman has in his" exclaimed Mr.
Anderson Of Iowa. and this allusion to Mr..
Bragg's failure to secure a nomination was
greeted with loud and continued laughter on
the Republican side.
Mr.. Bragg repeated that the press were
opposed to the bill. That gallant soldier,
the Ex-Governor of Maine, Chamberlain,
stood by the President"
YES" cried Mr.. Boutelle, ''and he stands
alone in Maine" applause on the Repub-
lican side) II speak for Maine" (Jeers on
the Democratic side and cries of "Sorry for
Maine.'D
Mr.. Bragg, continuing, said: The great
soldier, Palmer of Illinois, stood by the
President; Governor Cox Of Ohio stood by
the President; cid Dan Sickles of the Third
Army Corps said the veto was q most glori-
GUS deed. Brave men of all parties stood by
the President. 1t was only little minds that
went buzzing about like insects that opposed
him.
Mr.. Henderson of Iowa (contemptuously)
"Y0u stand by the President?"
Mr.. Bragg-No staff commissary can ever
excite me. am speaking for what / CON
slider the soldiers interest. The largest
Grand Army Post in my State yesterday yot-
ed not to ask members of Congress to 20
against the President. 1t is only class al
gentlemen who hang around the Grand
Army Posts, who crowd themselves in to GET
$50 week, and depend ON their comrades.
who are making this grand hue and cry
The soldier prefers to stand by his record.
and asks not that Congress sl-all mark him
as a dagger He wants to have it under
Stood that he IL in privatp life as he xvae II